February | 2015 | Writer's Zen Blog

Archive for February, 2015

I think I can, I think I can

Today ‘The Little Engine that Could’ is living in my mind … I think I can, I think I can …

In cutting loose the moorings of a full time job (I was in retail, I can’t technically call it a 9-5, or a ‘day’ job), I also let go of the steady, regular every other week paycheck. Now, looking in the face of ‘YIKES – What did I do?’, I have conflicting emotions.

One part of me is thrilled. No time clocks. No boss giving me random schedules that vary from day to day. All days different. All hours different. No commute. No travel in dicey, icy weather. My commute now is 30 feet from the bedroom to my computer. The only traffic I fight is the pitter patter of kitties dashing in-between my legs.

The other half of me is the one with that knot in the middle of my belly. That, I didn’t expect. I thought I’d lined up finances to where it might be slim for a month or two, but I’d be okay. That was before I discovered – after my final clock-out, that I don’t get to take the personal time I’d accumulated with me. That’s $990 (before taxes) that I’d planned on paying a few bills with over the next few months. Big Gulp!

I’m not going to admit defeat before my first week of full time writing ends. I’m not going to go begging for my old job back.

So I sit here, on Day 4, the wheels frantically spinning … I think I can … I think I can.

Wait! I catch myself. I THINK? There’s an awful lot of doubt in the phrase ‘think’. Where’s the optimism and positive thinking that I profess to have?

I need a major whack upside the head.

It’s time to use some affirmations to enhance my life and ensure that the decision I made to quit a full time job to write full time was the right one.

–I accept a healthy flow of income for myself.

–Tell me how much it is so I can create it. (Borrowed from Michelle Barr)

–I make a good living from doing the writing that I love.

–My writing sustains me. My writing pays my bills and brings me abundance.

–I have the energy I need to complete my writing projects.

–I intuitively take the steps I need to for a successful writing career.

–I see what needs to be done to further my writing – and I do it.

This is it. For a start. I feel empowered already. It’s a lot better than that ‘I think’ state.

Are there any affirmations or positive statements that YOU like to use?

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Affirmations, Writer's Zen

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My $35,000 List

My $35,000 list

Do you ever feel like you’re running all day long without accomplishing much of anything? Do your days feel full of endless activity, yet at the end of the day your list remains without many items crossed off?

That was me. Working, working, endlessly busy. For myself, I found that my biggest problem was that I spent more time off chasing ‘rabbit’s. I’d be hunkered down, busy at a task … and … flash … there went a thought that I thought I should chase. There I was, off across the field, chasing the newest rabbit in my field of vision, leaving my current’s day’s to-do list in the dust.

That changed when I read Miracle’s Happen, by Mary Kay Ash. In it, she shares what she called her $35,000 list. Basically, she advises that at the end of each day you make a list of 6 things to accomplish the next day. Prioritize them 1 – 6, in order of importance. The next day, start with #1 and work your way through. If you don’t finish, transfer the items to the next day and continue working. (Read more about the Mary Kay’s version of the story here.)

I started using this method with my writing 1/31/14. That day I crossed one item off the list. But, I kept it up. Now to be truthful, with working full time and only writing in periods in between my work and home life, sometimes I’d work three to four weeks on those 6 items. But now that I’m writing full time, I’m finding this method indispensable in keeping me on track. (This blog is #4 for today.)

Something I discovered with this $35,000 list, is to break some of the items down into smaller bites for an individual item. When I had: Edit Scooter’s Tale (a whole manuscript), Finish Starting Over (only about another 30k words needed), write 3 blogs, research next project … well, with each item having this magnitude, there was no way this was all happening in one day. So I’d end the day frustrated because I hadn’t made a dent. I’ve learned to list my tasks in more manageable pieces. List each blog separately – that’s three items in itself. Add 2k or 3k to my WIP. Edit first 50 pages. Being realistic with what I can accomplish in my allotted time is just as important as staying focused.